Chapter two- The Man I Refused

Morning came too quickly, or maybe I just didn’t sleep.

Either way, the moment I stepped onto the training grounds, I knew one thing. I didn’t want to see him.

Kael.

The man my father had decided would become my husband.

The man who, apparently, thought he could just step into my life and take a place I had never offered him.

The training grounds stretched wide beneath the early sun, the packed earth already marked with the footprints of warriors who had been there long before me.

I could hear the sound of clashing weapons in the distance, where the warriors trained like they were going into battle the next day. My father never tolerated softness, and maybe that was what earned iron crest the respect of being the strongest pack in the region.

This place had always been my escape.

Out here, I wasn’t just the Alpha’s daughter, I was a fighter and a wolf. Someone who didn’t have to sit quietly and accept decisions made for me.

Usually, Kael was already here by the time I arrived. He was the one who trained me everyday, but not today.

Today, I picked up a blade on my own and I didn’t look for him.

I didn’t need him, and didn’t want him.

I moved quickly, letting my body fall into familiar patterns like how to strike and block. My muscles burned as I pushed harder than usual, putting more force behind every movement, as if I could drive the frustration out of me with each swing. But it didn’t work.

Nothing did.

Because no matter how much I tried to focus, my mind kept circling back to last night.

‘You will marry Kael.’

My grip tightened around the blade.

No I wouldn’t and I couldn’t.

“Did you hear?” a voice whispered somewhere behind me.

I stilled for half a second, my back still turned.

“Heard what?”

“The Alpha’s arranging her marriage. To Kael.”

A quiet laugh followed.

“About time. It was obvious, wasn’t it?”

Heat rose up my spine.

“I mean, who else would he choose? The Beta’s son becoming royalty through marriage? It makes sense.”

“Still… I didn’t think she’d actually agree.”

My jaw clenched as another voice chimed in, lower this time.

“Do you think she has a choice?”

That was it.

I turned sharply, my gaze locking onto the small group of warriors standing just a few feet away. They froze instantly, their expressions shifting from casual curiosity to something much more cautious.

“Say it louder,” I said, my voice cutting clean through the air. “Or are you only brave enough to talk when my back is turned?”

There was silence.

One of them stepped forward hesitantly. “We didn’t mean any disrespect, Alpha’s daughter…”

“Then don’t speak on things you don’t understand,” I snapped.

They lowered their heads immediately. “Apologies my lady.”

I held their gaze for a moment longer before turning away again, my chest tight with irritation.

The whispers didn’t matter, none of this did. Because it wasn’t happening.

I raised my blade again to continue my training when I heard a voice.

“Your stance is off.” It said.

My entire body went rigid. I didn’t have to turn around to know who it was.

Of course he was here and he had seen everything.

I exhaled slowly before lowering the blade.

“I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

There was a brief pause behind me before his voice came again, calm as ever.

“You didn’t have to. It’s still off.”

I turned this time, unable to stop myself.

Kael stood a few feet away, arms loosely crossed over his chest, his expression unreadable as his dark eyes settled on me. The morning light caught the sharp lines of his face, giving him an almost imposing presence even in his calm posture.

He looked exactly the same as always. Composed and controlled like nothing had changed.

Like my life hadn’t just been decided for me without my consent.

“Why aren’t you training with me today?” he asked.

His question was simple and direct like this was normal. Like we were normal.

Something in me snapped.

“Why would I?” I shot back. “So you can play the part of the perfect future husband a little earlier?”

His brows drew together slightly.

“That’s not what this is.”

“Oh, really?” I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re getting exactly what you want.”

His posture stiffened just enough for me to notice.

“And what exactly do you think I want, Aria?”

“The throne,” I said immediately. “What else?”

The words hung between us.

For the first time since I’d known him, Kael actually looked caught off guard.

“That’s what you think this is about?” he asked, a little quieter now.

“What else would it be about?” I challenged. “You’re the Beta’s son. This marriage puts you one step away from everything.”

His jaw tightened. “This arrangement wasn’t my decision.”

I scoffed. “Of course it wasn’t.”

“It wasn’t,” he repeated, more firmly this time. “I wasn’t told until after your father had already decided.”

I shook my head, refusing to let his words settle.

It didn’t matter, none of it mattered.

“You expect me to believe that?” I said. “That you had no idea? That you’re just… going along with it?”

“I am going along with it,” he admitted. “Because it benefits the pack.”

“There it is,” I muttered. “The pack. The throne. Always the same excuse.”

His eyes darkened slightly. “It’s not an excuse. It’s responsibility.”

“And I’m just supposed to accept that?” I demanded. “Marry someone I don’t love because it’s ‘good for the pack’?”

“You don’t even know what you want,” he said, his voice sharpening for the first time.

I let out a disbelieving laugh. “I know exactly what I want.”

“Oh?” His gaze locked onto mine. “And what is that?”

“Freedom,” I said without hesitation. “A life that’s mine. Not one decided for me.”

“And you think you’ll find that here?” he asked.

“No,” I said.

A brief pause.

“Then where?”

I lifted my chin slightly. “With someone who actually loves me.”

Something shifted in his expression like anger, but he was quick to cover it up.

“Damon right?” he said.

It wasn’t a question, and I didn’t deny it.

“Yes.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then to my surprise, he laughed.

Not loudly, not mockingly, but enough to Make me boil with rage.

The sound sent a sharp wave of irritation through me.

“What’s so funny?” I snapped.

Kael shook his head slightly, though the faintest trace of disbelief still lingered on his face.

“You’re risking everything… for him?”

“He’s not just ‘him,’” I shot back. “He loves me.”

“He’s from a minority pack,” Kael said flatly. “One with no real standing. No power and no influence.”

“And?” I challenged. “That makes him less worthy?”

“It makes him a poor choice,” he replied. “Especially for you.”

My grip tightened around the blade.

“You don’t get to decide that.”

“I’m not deciding anything,” he said. “I’m pointing out what you refuse to see.”

“And what exactly is that?” I demanded.

“That you’re throwing away your future,” he said. “For something that won’t last.”

The words hit harder than I expected. Anger flared instantly, hot and sharp.

“You don’t know anything about my relationship,” I said, my voice cold now.

“I know enough,” he replied.

“No, you don’t,” I snapped. “Because if you did, you’d understand that what I have with him is real.”

Kael held my gaze, completely unmoved.

“Then why does it look like you’re trying to convince yourself?”

That was it. I stepped back, shaking my head.

“This conversation is over.”

“Aria wait.”

“I’m not marrying you,” I cut in sharply. “And I’m not staying here to be forced into it.”

His expression hardened slightly.

“You don’t have a choice.”

“I do,” I said.

And before he could respond, I turned and walked away.

I didn’t look back.

Not at Kael, not at the training grounds, and not at the life that was already starting to close in around me.

Because in my mind, I had already chosen a different path and a different future.

One where I didn’t belong to the pack, or

Or the throne.

Or him.